Death Warrant
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Movie Reviews of Death Warrant
Movie Review: Jailhouse Rock n Sock 'Em!
Summary: 4 Stars
Plot: There has been a string of unsolved murders at Harrison Penitentiary. Detective Louis Burke (Jean-Claude Van Damme) is sent undercover as an inmate to investigate. With the help of his assigned "wife" (charatcer Amanda Beckett, played by Cynthia Gibb), he manages to uncover a few dirty secrets about the place. Once he truly gets into the heat of the situation, he discovers that the guards and prison officials themselves might even be involved. The whole scheme is starting to make sense, and that doesn't stay a good thing for long. His presence at the prison is becoming too much of a danger for the conspirors, and he becomes next on the hitlist. But Burke isn't going down easy. At least that's what we think, until an old enemy -- Christian "The Sandman" Naylor (Patrick Kilpatrick) -- is transferred to the prison to finish him off for good. The fight to solve the murder mystery is over, yet the fight for Burkes life is only beginning.
Death Warrant is an action flick. Period. Although the story can be interesting to follow, the true reason anyone would watch this would be for the down'n'dirty mayhem with Van Damme in his usual kick-butt mode. The prison conspiracy is not a huge government cover up, but rather a small ring of corruption hidden from higher officials. So instead of a thriller with a bunch of different suspicious characters involved, we've got Van Damme stuck all alone in the deadly prison without a prayer! That's where the action comes in. This isn't the kind of "blow stuff up" or "shoot em down" popcorn movie, this is hand-to-hand combat with girtty intensity. And the best example for that would be the grand finale: the final fight between The Sandman and Burke (definitely my favorite part). That's where anything goes, and barbaric brawling to the death is the only way out. And on that note, I was particularly fond of Patrick Kilpatrick as The Sandman. He often can be seen in villain-type roles, but this just hits the nail on the head. The only slight complaint I have (and the reason it only hits four stars) is that The Sandman doesn't have enough screen time. I don't want to spoil the storyline, but you can assume that because of his late arrival in the film, he's not the mystery murderer. He's more like an executioner sent to do Burke in. For the parts he does get in the last half of the film -- as well as the first scene in which we see an encounter between Naylor and Burke when Naylor is a free man -- are satisfying, but let's face it, he's one hell of a villain and he needed more show. Regardless, Death Warrant is just what you need if you like a simple yet engaging fight flick. And although the only special feature is a theatrical trailer, the only reason you need to purchase this DVD is the film itself. It's quite impressive, and leaves you with some fond memories of both Van Damme and Kilpatrick. Pick it up!
Movie Review: Hey JCVD! Don't drop the soap!
Summary: 4 Stars
The Jean Claude Van Damme Review Matrix (JCVD-RM)
1. Who is he? He's Detective Louis Burke, who goes undercover as a prisoner in a penitentiary with a lot of unexplained deaths.
2. Which family member/friend must be avenged? His partner was murdered by a maniac named Sandman.
3. Does he take his shirt off? Not only does the Sandman homoerotically remove Louis' shirt in the shower, but in the climactic final battle, Louis is pressed up against an iron furnace door. Naturally, this singes the shirt to smithereens, and Sandman kindly removes the rest. Sandman has clearly been in prison too long.
4. Does he have sex with a C-List actress? Unless there was a deleted scene with his cellmate, I don't think so.
5. Is there a tournament? As far as I'm concerned, being in general pop. at a penitentiary IS a tournament.
6. Is training needed for this tournament? The only training needed was in regards to a firm grip on the soap when showering.
7. Does he do the splits in training or in the tournament? Only in the shower room.
8. Does he punch someone in the balls? No. I don't think he wants to insinuate anything to the larger prisoners.
9. Does he do a series of flying or 360 kicks? There are approximately 78 spin kicks in this movie; Louis only receives about 3 of them.
10. Is his enemy unbeatable? He may be the most unstoppable force JCVD has ever met. Let's put it this way: Louis shoots the Sandman five times early in the movie, and the Sandman survives. Later, the Sandman gets kicked into a 1500 degree Celsius blast furnace, gets out, does a little stop-drop-and-roll, and is ready to fight some more.
11. Does he overcome an injury or other hindrance? Early in his fight with Sandman, Louis gets hit in the face with a two foot wrench. So, I guess that counts.
12. Does he win? After impaling the Sandman on a bolt sticking out of some piping, and getting taunted, Louis calmly walks over scrambles the Sandman's brains - just picture the process by which McFlurries are made at McDonald's and you have a good idea.
With grunting and mono-syllabic lines galore, the true genius of everyone's favorite Belgian homunculus is in full force with Death Warrant. Not only that, but the sound effects are incredibly trumped up for this one, with every kick and punch accompanying a swoosh through the air and finishing with a thud into raw meat. The "organ harvesting with the help of corrupt police"-angle is also an oddly interesting one for a JCVD movie. Overall, this isn't the best of his oeuvre, but it's got a few hardcore battles that will have you air-punching to get in on the action. This is solid JCVD gold.
Movie Review: at the height of his popularity
Summary: 4 Stars
I want to go with 3 stars on this film, but some part of me says there is enough fun in Death Warrant to go with 4 stars. You can't expect more than a typical prison movie with this one - the crazy inmates, the corrupt guards, the big prison villain, and the undercover cop - played by Van Damme. Unlike the movies that Van Damme continues to make today, this is one of his older titles, which means a younger and more skilled Van Damme. Although there are not an abundance of fights in this film, Death Warrant displays the powerful moves of the great Van Damme we once knew.
Fun is the name of the game, although it weird to say the word "fun" when referring to a prison movie. Well, its the kind of fun entertainment that pits an undercover cop named Louis Burke into a prison, simply to investigate the numerous deaths that have been occuring there. We get to see hundreds of weird, insane, and crazy inmates - many of whom get a bit too close to Van Damme's face, thus creating your typical prison fights and what not. There are the usual corrupt guards as well, once again stirring up some havoc on the side. And then there's the one guy that forms an allegiance to help out our investigator, who is played by Robert Guillaume.
As usual, its all about the action. As mentioned, I had hoped for more fight scenes, but when there is one, boy they are tough and hard hitting. The best obviously is going to be the last fight of the movie, against a really weird guy named "The Sandman". He appears in the beginning of the film, and we assume he is killed by Burke. Closer to the end of the film, he is alive and well, and enters the prison, with his eyes set on Burke for revenge. Their fight is at least 5 minutes, and is accompanied by an audience of screaming inmates watching from all corners. Its an evenly matched fight, as both guys get to do some serious damage.
Death Warrant is probably one of my lesser favorites from the early Van Damme movies which include Bloodsport, Kickboxer, Lionheart, Double Impact and Hard Target. But compared to his more recent films, you won't find this kind of action in them. Pick it up to complete the classic Van Damme collection. Though the movie might be a bit cliche, its a chance to add some more great Van Damme action to the pot.
Movie Review: Up the Irons
Summary: 4 Stars
As a longtime afficianado of the Van Damme oeuvre, I can honestly say that this film does right by the requisite cliches (where prison movies are concerned), and is actually not bad for repeated viewings.Similar in pace to Stallone's "Lock-Up" and slightly less entertaining, but still pretty good, "Death Warrant" gets higher marks than it should because of the action (well-choreographed until the climax, which is stricly by-the-numbers Van Damme signature moves), the moody lighting and production accuracy, and Robert Guillaume and Patrick Kilpatrick as the veteran inmate and omnipotent nemesis, respectively.
Van Damme still had a few films to go before he reached his peak, but this was a step in the right direction.
Movie Review: Van Damme takes it to a whole new level...
Summary: 4 Stars
If you would of said Van Damme back in 1990,people would of responded he was in Bloodsport or Kickboxer which were simply martial art type of films.Van Damme stepped up to the level with Schwarzenegger and Stallone in this box-office hit.Even though jail movies have been done before like Stallones "Lockup" and Sean Penn's "Bad Boy's" Death Warrant took it into overtime,having a convincing villian in the "Sandman" and a believing hero in Van Damme.An undercover cop in jail?Dangerous if you ask me but Van Damme fights the odds and comes up victorious in an all out supercharged war.With fast pace kicks and fight sequences Van Damme is your ticket to nonstop action...